I had a nice Rest day all planned out, but my massage therapist didn't get my email (though I had it on my computer and on the reply emails) about my appointment. Sigh. . . . and I wanted to treat my body to something nice for a change. I like to praise my body for being able to keep up with what my mind tells it to do, and even then, for going past what I expected it to do!

So instead of one rest day, my partner wanted to be able to have one of the weekend days off also (this would have been the 2 days on for the whole weekend time), so we just agreed to have a two days off for resting. And I am amazed at how my body is responding. I was like very sleepy on and off yesterday, and took many cat naps (learned how to power nap during my first cutting diet) and today it looks way bigger than yesterday. You know what, I am going to go weight myself right now. . . .174.6lbs. Weird, lost 3lbs since I last weighed myself 2 weeks ago, and I feel bigger. It has been a week on the ProStack (tongkat ali), and maybe it is working already after 1 week being on it. Cool, because that stuff was expensive.

I also saw a bodybuilder toy (my partner said that we would like we were doing some kind of bondage thing in the gym with this - only if we get the fake fur mink cuffs ) that I want to try out:

When you get to a certain plateau, you will then need to look at what mother nature can help you get to the next level that you want (be it bigger muscles, less bodyfat, more vascularity, more definition, etc.). You can also look at man-made substances (that are usually a metabolite, so found in nature, but just not at that free-form state) that are researched thoroughly.

Delts yesterday was what I call 'maturing the muscle' routine. Last night the delts hurt so bad while on the couch watching TV that I had to put Ziploc bags of ice on them to numb the pain away. They are feeling better today, but I hope my planning for Back and Triceps routine won't be cut short due to the fact that my delts will start to scream during the workout.

Delts

StarTrac Machine Press (Barbell Grip) 5 sets of 15 reps at 100lbs - limited rest between sets to my partner doing her set, then I would do my setAfter doing the last set, we did 3 descending weight sets till failure for each set (the weights were 75, 60, and 50)

DB Side Laterals: 5 sets of 15 reps at 17.5lbs - again limited rest time between setsDescending set, with each set till failure (15, 12, and 10)

StarTrac Machine Press (Dumbbell Grip - perpendicular to the body): 5 sets of 15 reps at 100lbs.Descending set at 3 weights (75, 60, and 50) till failure for each set

Wide Stretch Side Lateral Cable Pulldowns (180 degree, step forward for 240 degrees, and step back for 60 degrees) 5 sets of 25 reps at 30lbs.No descending sets as we were wiped out. I think those probably put me over to pain.

Since it was Delt day, we wore our tank tops. We both looked really big today. It was the first time I posed in the mirror at the gym (I made sure nobody was looking, and there was only a couple of older men and women there at that time of day on Sunday) and liked what I saw. My partner looked awesome also! Still jealous of her lats though.

Rope Pressdown: 5 sets of 15+/90lbsRope Overhead, behind head, fulcrum at waist Tricep Extensions: 5 sets of 15/70lbsand a bunch of Bench Dips (gym was getting busy with people I knew, so I started talking and cooled way down, so I was starting to feel the damage already).

Though it is the next day, and my Back and Triceps feel normal (which means they only ache and not specific pains shooting thru a bodypart. ). So I didn't trash them, which I knew I from the start. My mind just wasn't at the gym that day. . . nor today. It is nice and sunny outside (and a high of 40 degrees!), but all I want to do is sleep. Winter blues already? At least it is a rest day.

I can't weight to progress to the dummbell rack that contains the 25 on up to 50 lbs! I think 35 would be a nice goal to reach for by this February (before dieting down and watching the weights drop as my weight (hopefully only BF) drops also.

So I looked at back at this post on Oct 26/27, 2011, and looked up my PB for delt raises and it is 35/6~2! My body was able to go where my mind wanted it to go, even though I had forgotten all about this goal - I just go and lift heavy (well, not this week - but I usually do).

Oh my what a Leg Day. My body is definitely use to lifting heavy and taking long breaks in between. My partner enjoyed all the faces of pain I had today. I even jumped off the leg extension machine and was trying to shake off the pain from my legs, and ended up in a heap on the floor. I had to make sure I got 23, 24, and 25 rep in good and solid for the set. The mind said that, and the body followed but sure did put up a fuss as I did those last 3 reps.Legs

Tried to do plain ole squats on the MaxRack (freeform barbell with safety rails): cautiously - 50/25, 70/25, 90/25, 110/25, 120/25, 140/20 (starting to either get heavy for me, or I am just fatiguing out the muscle), 160/15 (stopped here. legs were now fatigued).Note: my legs are way stronger and can lift more weights than this, but I really am limited by the weight being on the top of my spine and my shoulders holding it up. I will do it just to increase my ligament/tendon strength, but not for building the quads/hamstrings belly muscles

Leg Extensions: 5 sets of 25 reps/150lbs

Sitting Leg Curl: 5 sets of 25 reps/100lbsNote: Ugh! I want the Lying Leg Curl machine to be at our gym soon so I can blast my hammys on it! I hate sitting leg curl machines.

Leg Press (no showboating today): 4 45's on each side, so 360lbs/for 4 sets of 25 reps, and I had a little showboating in me, so I did one last set with 6 45's on each side, so 540lbs/25 reps.

Calf Raises on the Seated Leg Squat machine: 5 sets of 25 reps/180lbs

Adductor/Abductor machines: 5 sets of 25 for 120lbs (same as usual). But this time my hamstrings were starting to protest any pressure on them, so when I went to sit in these machines, as soon as the butt settled in, the hamstrings were hurting already.

My legs were so pumped when I left, and they still feel really pumped now in the evening. I hope I can hold on to my quads and hams as I diet down. I usually can keep the muscle even though I like to trail run (my choice for cardio), as I was the girl in high school cross country whose legs just got bigger and bigger with running (genetics).

Today was the last day of 'maturing the muscle' workout routine. I have found a new exercise that I love because it targets the upper chest/pec muscles.

Chest

Cable Flyes on the small cable station (cables are only 5 feet apart) at #4 height (just below waist level): 20/25, 30/15 for 3 sets, and the 5 set was 40/15 and then descending sets 30/15, 20/15 (barely)

HammerStrength Chest Press #1: 90/20, 100/15 for 4 sets, and then a descending set of 90/80/40/20 lbs for as many reps as I could get out (between 10 and 25 reps) for each weight

StarTrac (machine) Chest Press on Vertical Grip: 90/15 (trying out my partner's weight first and stopped at 15 reps to save the energy for a higher weight), 105/20 (can do 20 reps, still too light of a weight), 120/15 (baby bear's weight was just right) for 3 sets, and then a descending set of 105/90/75/60 lbs for as many reps till failure for each weight

Pecs were very pumped up after all these fast sets with alot of reps. Took a little break (about 5 - 10 minutes) before going on to Biceps.

Biceps

MaxRack Barbell Curl: Bar/25, 10/25 for 4 sets, and then a descending set of Bar/25

DB Hammer Curls: 22.5/15 for 5 sets

Cable Side Bicep Curl, single handles: 30/15, 35/15 for 2 sets, 40/10 (playing around with going up to see if I could do 15 reps.nope. too tired), and then descending sets of 30/15 and 20/15

And I had my protein shake after that workout session. I am fatigued now, and can feel my upper pecs still pumped at this time in the evening. Good workout overall.

Rest day is tomorrow! I hope that I am going to have my muscle whisperer work her magic on my tired sore muscles. I was commenting to my partner how it would be nice to not feel any bodypart aching. It has been a grueling 3 months of bulking for us, and just as that one bodypart is feeling fine, we blast away at it again. But that is for that bodypart only. Like today, we were complaining how our legs hurt just to get in and sit down on these machines, and my lower to middle back was sore from doing those regular squats yesterday. Luckily my back was just getting better, so I could use it yesterday without it screaming at me in pain. Maybe if I use the Smith Press for squats I can concentrate more on my legs instead of my back also. My partner and I also said our tailbone muscles were sore today from the regular squats. In my mind I think the regular squats are going to morph into the sumo squats again (and safety latches will be in place this time). We shall see how I feel in the leg dept tomorrow - second day DOMS can tell me where I will repair the most (and hence get bigger there).

Muscle whisperer only got thru the lower half - my legs and lower back are great today. Sigh, not the upper back, delts, and neck yet - will return for Part 2 on Tuesday. Though she knew as she said, oh you are bigger. . . . this might take me a good 3 hours to work on you. . . but alas she had only 1 and 1/2 hours to work on me before the next client showed up. I shall prevail till Tuesday.So it is another Rest day again. I think I am going to put my foot down and say that we need to work on the whole weekend thing, otherwise we are stuck in this same routine every week (7 days) and not 6 days (so you work the body part at the beginning and the end of the week, so really 2 times a week you work the bodyparts). That reason, plus I am restless being at home during the afternoon on the weekend. Especially during winter (snow and cold today - no trail walk this weekend).

Delts today. Going heavy again. Not going to write down all the sets and reps that I did. The only thing that is important to me now is getting past my PB's (Personal Best's).

Smith Military Press, seated: 90/8+2 (2+2 more than last time)

Rear Delts: 105/8 (same PB)

Cable Side Lateral Raises (fulcrum at floor level): 30/6~2 (same PB)

MaxRack Barbell Front Raises: 40/10 (same PB)

Machine Delt Press, DB grip: 160/6~2 (~2 more than last time)

New exercise to hit middle delt next to rear delt (to get a rounder looking shoulder) - DB end-to-end Side Laterals: 25/10 new PB

So I have some work to do next time to push past these 'same PB' and get new ones. I am happy with the workout though. I also did Descending sets with just about every exercise, to push the muscle a little bit more. It is getting to be crunch time for bulking: a month and half left to go.

Back and Triceps today. Just going to keep short and simple again. Training heavy, so I will post my PBs, and whether or not I was able to meet it, or beat it.

Neutral-Grip Pulldown: 165/8+4 (+4 - help from my partner, more than last time)

HammerStrength Back Row: 120/6+6 - new PB (110/12+3 last time)

Stiff-legged Deadlift: 140/8 - new PB (120/9 last time - my lower back is finally getting back to normal after my Sumo Squat fiasco!)

StarTrac Machine Row, Upper grip: 240/8 - new PB (225/10 last time - again back is able to handle the heavy weights again)

Triceps

Seated DB behind the head Tricep Extensions (both at the same time, not individual): 30/8 - new PB (27.5/8 last time)

Bent-Over DB kickbacks (both at the same time): 20/12 - new standard (never did them before)

Rope Pressdown: 130/8 - new PB (last time 120/8)

Dips: Bodyweight (177.4 lbs this morning)/8 for 2 sets

MaxRack Barbell Upright Row: Bar/25, 10/25 - just fooling around doing these. Wanted to see if we could do them after doing delts yesterday, and today's thrashed Back and Triceps. We could, so maybe go heavy next time.

Today was a rest day, and I got part 2 for my bodywork massage. I feel like I have been thru a grueling workout! She found so many knots in my neck! And she said my scalenes are too tight and that is why my clavicle hurts so much. I laughed when she told me that my workout partner should tell to get my shoulders out of my ears! I guess I crunch my neck alot when lifting alot of heavy weight. I can even see myself doing it with the military presses. I wonder if I wear a neck brace if that will force me to keep my chin up, neck long, and . . keep my shoulders out of my ears, LOL! My spine seems to be alittle compressed for her taste. I wonder if I hang upside down from a bar, if that will make my spine decompress. Maybe if I hold a heavy dumbbell while upside down. . . lol.

That is what my bodywork therapist reminded me of again. I know that I need to get back into yoga again. I even went thru the teacher training to learn more, and since it was Anusara, I learned alot about alignment and mental control/expression.

I guess I will have to invest some time in coming up with poses that go around the bodypart that is repairing/recovering. I tried to keep up with my usual yoga routine, but you know that the legs just don't want to do warrior poses the next day! and chest screams when I do chatarungas the next day also. and downward dog after doing the lats is oh so hard to do. plus I have been doing cobra to work out whatever I did to my back.

Yeah, I need to get back into it. Thanks for reminding me also! Time to put all that learning of yoga poses and alignment to work.

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